CableGuardian

The first platform to offer proactive monitoring, detection and location of both insulator and conductor faults on live low voltage unearthed power distribution systems.

CableGuardian

The first platform to offer proactive monitoring, detection and location of both insulator and conductor faults on live low voltage unearthed power distribution systems.

CableGuardian

The first platform to offer proactive monitoring, detection and location of both insulator and conductor faults on live low voltage unearthed power distribution systems.

CableGuardian

The first platform to offer proactive monitoring, detection and location of both insulator and conductor faults on live low voltage unearthed power distribution systems.

CableGuardian

The first platform to offer proactive monitoring, detection and location of both insulator and conductor faults on live low voltage unearthed power distribution systems.

CableGuardian encompasses proven technology with extensive industrial heritage in challenging environments to provide a distributed and intelligent cable infrastructure health monitoring system for various electrical industries.

Problem

With the increasing age of many cables, cable failures are becoming more of an issue. Cables can fail due to various reasons and these are not always detectable using one method or piece of equipment. Repairs and maintenance require systems to be powered down and the fault located which takes time and resources.

Solution

CableGuardian is a browser-based
condition monitoring and fault finding system for both cable and conductor
faults on electrical networks. Its
measurement technology is not just your standard insulation monitoring device
(IMD). Each sensor unit is comprised of two complementary technologies; an IMD
and built-in time-domain reflectometer (TDR) with a difference. The IMD is
Viper Innovation’s V-LIM which has been developed for and proven in the harsh
conditions experienced by the subsea oil and gas industry. CableGuardian monitors
the insulation resistance of the system in addition to other electrical parameters.
This information gives the viewer a greater understanding of the status and
integrity of the cable, the nature of any
changes or emerging faults. What
really sets CableGuardian apart is its ability to monitor via multiple
independent units on the power network. Their unique proprietary connection method allows the identification of the faulty
cable sections without conflicting with one another.

CableGuardian also moves away from traditional TDR which has its
limitations, namely an inability to be used on a powered cable. What sets
Viper’s TDR apart is the use of digital signals which operate within the noise
margins of the powered line. Known as Spread Spectrum Time Domain Reflectometry
(SSTDR), small, but nevertheless,
recognizable digital signals are sent across a wide range of frequencies, and
like traditional TDR, are reflected and correlated against the sent signal to
identify the fault type and provide a location, in real-time. SSTDR can be run
on energized wires because the signals can be isolated from the host system
noise and activity by the sensors and interpreted by the CableGuardian algorithms.
Small impedance changes caused by known conditions, like connectors and loads
and inherent system noise can be ignored while unplanned events such as hard or
intermittent faults are reported. Live monitoring means that events, such as
vandalism or theft of cables, can be alarmed and logged as they happen and
importantly the exact location of such an event is instantly available.

Each CableGuardian transmits data, via a secure internet connection, to
the remotely hosted CableGuardian Data Storage and Analytics System which analyses
it, and monitors degradation and determines the location of faults on the live
power network. The results are displayed clearly, at a glance, on an
interactive web portal. Master Users have full control to set the CableGuardian
alarm thresholds which send alerts direct to key personnel via the interactive
web portal, email, text messages and automated voice messages.

Developed at the request of Network Rail, CableGuardian
supports the ambitions to reduce maintenance costs and time-related E&P infrastructure
failures, to reduce the frequency and duration of service affecting failures
and to improve the overall asset management process.

Applications

Railway signalling power distribution systems

Mission critical IT (unearthed) electrical distribution systems

Key Benefits

Helps to avoid injury and reduce downtime through early fault detection and location

Analytics facilitate proactive, rather than reactive, maintenance

Enables faster and more accurate repair, minimising service outage

Permits a move from a frequency based inspection regime to one driven by actual asset condition and performance

Enables compliance with the requirements of Network Rail Standard NR/L2/SIGELP/27725

Key facts

Locates the position of insulation failure and further locates with 98% accuracy the precise location of any short, open, or transient failure.